MLB Rumors: Predicting Where the Big Names Will Land

Less than a week remains before the trade deadline, and while few significant moves have been made, a perfect storm appears to be brewing for this weekend.

Every contending team appears to be making a play for at least one big name free agent this summer and while not all can win, some certainly will.

Scouts all over the league are assessing prospects and determining value propositions as they report back to their GM's on the findings.

Recent rumblings across the league indicate that it might not be long before a chip falls, and when they do others will certainly fall into place. 

Hiroki Kuroda

With a number of contenders interested in acquiring Hiroki Kuroda it doesn't seem to be a matter of whether or not he'll be traded, but only where he'll be traded to.

Kuroda does have a full no-trade clause but it's believed that if the right contender comes along he'd be willing to waive his rights and allow the move.

Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com pointed out on Sunday that the Tigers, Indians, Brewers, Yankees and Red Sox have all expressed interest, with Detroit being the most likely destination.

Heath Bell

Many analysts believed that the Philadelphia Phillies were almost certainly going to end up with reliever Francisco Rodriguez, but with K-Rod heading to Milwaukee the team was left looking elsewhere.

Since then most rumblings have indicated that Heath Bell is hot on the Phillies radar.

Philadelphia clearly wants the help in the back end of their bullpen, and as Jayson Stark of ESPN.com has pointed out, they have the farm system to back up such a move.

Carlos Pena

Despite indications from some that Carlos Pena isn't truly garnering as much attention as it may seem, it does appear that there is a good amount of interest.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated went as far as to tweet that he believed Pena will "almost surely be moved."

Heyman noted that the Diamondbacks would be a very interested team, while it's also been speculated that the Pirates would love to take on Pena as well.

Carlos Beltran

Perhaps the most highly coveted offensive player available, Carlos Beltran's name has been linked to many teams such as the Phillies, Rangers and Indians.

National league teams would appear to be the most likely to get Beltran as he has made it clear that his preference would be to play in the field rather than as a designated hitter.

Having said that, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated has indicated that Beltran could take a trip cross-country to join the San Francisco Giants.

Update: The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants have agreed to terms to a deal, sending Beltran to the Giants.

B.J. Upton

At this point it appears that B.J. Upton could end up in either Washington or San Francisco should he be moved by the Rays.

Earlier today Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted that the Rays have been sending additional scouts to watch the Nationals farm teams, seemingly an indication that they're assessing a return.

There has also been talk that the Giants would possibly work to deal for Upton if their pursuit of Carlos Beltran comes up short.

Jose Reyes

After a spring of speculation on where Jose Reyes might end up, most front offices appear to have resigned to the fact that he won't be moved.

Teams interested in the services of Reyes have been widespread, but as ESPN's Buster Olney and SI's Jon Heyman have noted it doesn't look like anything will get done.

Olney has gone as far as to say that the teams is "100 percent certain" that they won't trade Reyes.

Hunter Pence

A number of teams have shown strong interest in making a move to acquire Hunter Pence, and even as recently as yesterday the Atlanta Braves had been hinting that they were pushing to make progress.

With Pence still under Houston's control through 2013, it does appear however that he won't be moved this season.

Jason Giambi

As early as Monday it appeared that the Pirates and Phillies were both expressing interest in acquiring veteran slugger Jason Giambi from Colorado.

What a difference a day makes. Giambi has since been placed on the disabled list with a quad injury and it now appears that he won't be moved before the deadline.

Josh Willingham

If Josh Willingham does end up being moved before the deadline, it looks like a cross country trip might be in his future.

Bob Bierfempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune tweeted late last week that the Pirates were considering a move that would possibly send Garret Jones to Oakland in exchange for Willingham.

Edwin Jackson

With Edwin Jackson entering free agency after this season, the Chicago White Sox may look to ship out one of their many formidable starting pitchers in an effort to add talent that will help down the road.

The team has responded positively since GM Kenny Williams hinted that the organization may look to hold a fire sale and is only a few games out in the division.

A realistic move in either case may be moving Jackson to St. Louis as a part of a package that may include Colby Rasmus, a player the Cardinals appear to be actively shopping.

Update: St. Louis has traded Rasmus, along with P.J. Walters, Trever Miller and Brian Tallet to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Edwin Jackson, relievers Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski and outfielder Corey Patterson.

Ubaldo Jimenez

Ubaldo Jimenez is a pitcher that many teams are no doubt coveting. It does appear though that discussions surrounding him have been relatively short as the Rockies appear to be asking too hefty of a price tag for anyone to touch.

The Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers are among the teams seemingly most interested in Jimenez.

However the New York Yankees appear to be the most likely team to land Jimenez if he does end up moving. They have the depth in their system to make a deal happen and a number of their top prospects interest the Rockies significantly.

James Shields

Despite being named as a highly sought after addition to many contending ball clubs, all indications are that James Shields will remain in Tampa Bay.

In stating his angle that Shields will remain in Florida, ESPN's Jayson Stark did mention that the team could decide to deal Johnny Damon or Kyle Farnsworth.